The Enchanted Forrest Chronicles-Patricia C. Wrede

So I am a big fan of a lot of things, fairy tales, dragons, quests, witches, a little magic here and there, and of course bad-ass women that take care of their own problems and have a good time doing it thank you very much. Naturally being a book such I am I go in search of books that will meet some or all of these criteria. One day my good friend and I were scrolling through a list of the 50 top women in fiction or something of that sort and I came across one Princess Cimorene and The Enchanted Forrest Chronicles. As soon as I read about Princess Cimorene and how she abandoned her kingdom to go live with dragons I knew I had to read the series.

I went in search of it for the first time back in the summer to no avail. During the fall I had a lot going on and so the search was stalled. But then it was time for the holiday shopping to begin and so I thought how great would it be if I could find the first in the series "Dealing with Dragons" and give it my best friend and fellow book nerd for Christmas, with the intention of borrowing it of course. But alas, alack it was nowhere to be found on my search. Christmas was coming closer and I was getting discouraged, finally I decided to give up the search for the time being and try again another day. On Christmas day my best friend/roommate and I started opening presents and I came across a small book shaped one. Loving books of all sorts I was naturally excited which became overwhelming joy when I opened it and saw that it was 'Dealing with Dragons' the first Princess Cimorene series. Turns out while I was looking for the book as a gift for her my friend was searching for the same book for me. Great minds really do think alike. I started reading that day and couldn't stop. The closer I got to the end the more I realized that I didn't want to read anything but this series. And so I went to amazon.com and purchased the box set of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles.

Reading these books was like eating potato chips, you can't have just one. I devoured one book after the other loving each and every one of them. Each book brought about a new story, more characters to fall in love with and through them all was kick ads, hardcore, over the top awesome Princess Cimorene. In the first book Princess Cimorene decides that seeing as she can't be a proper princess loving embroidery and table manners she decides she would much rather be a captive princess with the dragons. And so she heads off in search of the dragon caves and when she finds them offers herself up as a willing princess. Although most of the dragon are wary of a 'willing' princess Kazul decides she could use a feisty princess around the place and so their friendship begins. Together they fight off evil wizards, dust treasure and  fend off annoying knights that keep coming around to try and 'rescue' Cimorene. The result of all this fending off and thanks to Cimorene's unbelievably cherries jubilee Kazul and Cimorene become the best of friends.

I have a deep dislike of spoilers and people that ruin great books by revealing too much of the story. I may err on the side of too much caution at times by not telling any part of the story for which I apologize. But with a series you really have to be careful about what you say and the details you reveal. With that in mind all I will tell you about the next three books is this, each book brings a new bunch of characters that are just as loveable or just as hateable as the next bunch and brand new adventures that leave you breathless with excitement. Are these children novels? Yes, yes they are. And I think that that just makes them better! I have no discrimination in my heart when it comes to reading. Or anything else for that matter, so be it children's, adult's, young readers or whatever it may be if it's good I will like it! And with the Cimorene stories especially I felt that because it was written for children and the stories were fun and simple it made them perfect. If it had tried to be more complicated or intricate it would have taken away from the greatness of the characters and the story itself.

All of that is meant to say this, don't be turned off by the fact that they are indeed children's fantasy. They are amazing books and utterly engaging stories for any age as long as you are young at heart!
  

Blue Lily, Lily Blue- by Maggie Stiefvater

Everyone that has been reading the words of this girl in the tiny hat knows how much I have enjoyed Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Boys Cycle books. When I finally read the ARC of "The Raven Boys" I loved it so much that I kind of mentally kicked myself for not reading it sooner. You know how you do when you read a really good book after it has sat on your shelf for awhile? You mentally yell at yourself 'WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ THIS?! OMG THIS IS AWESOME!!!' Yes I do it in all caps and everything. Then with the second book in the series "The Dream Thieves" I was even more blown away, enough so that I went and bought the hardcover autographed edition of it. In total-honest-truth-telling fact I liked it more then the first. Which is usually a good thing because it just means that the author is really finding a voice for these characters and that things are just going to keep getting better. Knowing this when I heard about the third installment "Blue Lily, Lily Blue" coming out I gave a little fan girl squeal and did a little happy dance. Then proceeded to eagerly await the day I could go and pick it up. And then the day finally came! I was so happy and started it right away.

The first few lines scared me a bit simply because they were a little over the top. A little bit like she was trying really hard for poetry when she should of just stuck to the brilliance of the story that was already there. Don't get me wrong I think that Ms. Stiefvater is a brilliant writer and I love her Raven Boys books with a passion but I love them so because they are beautiful and intriguing and utterly amazing in their simplicity. Anyway being the faithful reader that I am I forged ahead and was relieved when things started feeling more Raven and less 'hello I am fancy pants.' As the story really got going I started feeling lost and confused and at times a little bit hurt. It just didn't have the same feel as the first two. Something felt off and still after a couple months of thinking on it I can't quite pinpoint what it was that threw me. What I can tell you is this, the writing was mostly as good there were times when she went off on overly lyrical flights of fancy that ground my teeth a bit. The characters that I grew to love were all there in abundance and the story progressed a bit. But what I found was that many the writing was off at times because she was maybe trying too hard to take it to a new level which in my humble opinion was unnecessary.

The characters that I have grown to love were all there, Ganesy and Blue, Adam and Ronan, Chainsaw the raven and course Blue's aunts and their very special brand of crazy. But Ms. Stiefvater also felt it was time to add in some brand new characters to add some spice. Which is usually always a good thing, new characters with new plot lines usually mean big things are happening and to keep an eye out. Unless of course you are going for the 'War & Peace' vibe in which case you are simply adding characters because you have nothing better to do. I fear that Ms. Stiefvater had a little 'War & Peace' syndrome going on. There were just too many new characters with brand new plot lines to follow that were added on top of all the old loveable characters and all their plot lines that it kind of got twisted and confused a bit. I felt a little lost and confused at times which made it hard to speed through this one the way I did with the first two.

Maggie Stiefvater is a great storyteller. I've never read anything by her other than The Raven Boys cycle books but I think that she is just brilliant n her storytelling ways. That being said in "Blue Lily, Lily Blue" the story got a little lost or maybe it simply took a nap in Cabeswater and woke to find itself in another time and place. Whatever the reason I struggled to follow it and found myself wading through pools too deep for me. Again it was the simplicity of the story that was the brilliance of both "The Raven Boys" and "Dream Thieves." But in "Blue Lily, Lily Blue" things felt too complicated, too all over the place for me. It was still a decent story and towards the end things begin to shift back into perspective a bit so it is worth the read if you are a fan of the series. I recommend it solely based on the fact that it is the third in the series and it helps (somewhat) to guide us to the next plot point. I am of course excited about book 4 whenever that may be coming out but this time I plan on going into it with a little bit of reserve.

I tip my hat (my almost forgotten rating system) 3 times to Maggie Stiefvater's "Blue Lily, Lily Blue" not the best book I've read this year but not the worst by far. Well folks it has been quite a reading year. Less with the reviewing part and I apologize for that but a reading year indeed. I can't wait for 2015 and the many, many books that are awaiting us. So for the last time this year my dear, dear readers happy reading!

The Mime Order-Samantha Shannon

Alright so I am not really going to tell you guys what the book is about. Because that would be cheating and revealing way too much information that would no doubt ruin the book. So I am going to be magnanimous and say nothing about the story or what happens to Paige after she escaped from Sheol 1. I'm not going to say anything about what happens when she sees Jaxon again or what 'The Mime Order' is. I'm not gonna say anything about anything. Well except what I felt about it.

In short it was amazing. 100% edge of your seat, can't stop reading, heart racing, page turning amazing. Samantha Shannon is a force of nature as we saw in her debut novel 'The Bone Season,' (reviewed here) but she has surpassed herself with her second novel. She has grown as a writer by leaps and bounds, and I just know that she is going to continue to do so. With this second novel she was able to more seamlessly blend action and dialogue. Her down moments weren't too slow or overly drawn out, every bit of the book was crafted just so and I couldn't stop reading or thinking about it.

The story was of course incredible as we knew it would be. So much was brought into the light in this tale and Paige alone was fleshed out so much more. She became so very real and so three dimensional that she leapt off the page and I fell in love with her even more. Paige turned into a character that you not only rooted for but someone that I wanted to meet, to help and I wanted nothing more to be in there with her fighting the good fight. I felt like everything became much more intricate and well put together in this second adventure. And I have to tell you I was so very swept away this time, I mean don't get me wrong I loved the first book so much, but because Ms. Shannon has grown so much as a writer 'The Mime Order' is even better. I really can't wait to see where Samantha Shannon takes us next.

This time around the characters were even fuller and richer than in 'The Bone Season.' This was really a great chance for Ms. Shannon to take already great characters and really flesh them out turn them into unforgettable and truly incredible people. Each character became so much more real and likeable or unlikable as the case may be. If characters can leap off the page and make me feel something viscerally I know that the author has done a superb job in creating them. And every character in 'The Mime Order' leapt off those pages and made me feel something. Samantha Shannon really did a great job bringing her characters to life and I think that with each book she is only going to get better and better.

I know, I know I was super vague and annoying. But I really did it for you guys, I didn't want to give anything away. This is the kind of book that even the slightest detail would be too much so I kept it vague and short. Trust me when you read it, it comes out January 2015, you will thank me for not giving anything away. Because guys this book is so good and reading it the first time will be mind blowing and absolutely wonderful. Be ready dear readers because co me January 2015 all your lives will get better because Samantha Shannon's 'The Mime Order' will be out. Make sure to set aside a couple days where you do nothing but read because once you start there will be no stopping. With this book sleep is for the weak.

A Trip Down Memory Lane Part 2

So one post was clearly not enough to talk about all the books that have left an impact on me. I'm sure that 100 posts would not be enough but I think I'll cap it at 2 for now and just stick with some of the most important books. I've already talked about some of the classics that have changed the way I read or stayed with me so I figured that in part 2 I'll go a little more modern.

A couple years ago I came across a non-fiction book call 'The Kennedy Detail: JFK's Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence.' Being fascinated by history I picked it up and simply devoured it. It was heart breaking and terrifying and in many ways beautiful. I think the reason it stuck with me so much was because of the love that these agents felt for the Kennedy family and the feeling of guilt that they felt after Kennedy was shot. The thing that was truly amazing was the fact that when Kennedy first took office none of the agents were happy about their new assignment. As time went on and the agents got to know their protectees their duty became a joy. Reading this account of the months and days leading up to the assassination was moving and it really affected me. If you can stand non-fiction I highly recommend this unique view on the Kennedy assassination.

Now I know that the next book I'm going to talk about is probably on everyone's list but I just can't forgive myself if I don't mention it. 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' by JK Rowling. Now to be clear this isn't my favorite Harry Potter book but it is the one that started the obsession. To be honest I don't remember how I came upon Harry and his world of magic. I'm sure I started reading it because everyone was reading it and it was fresh and just becoming super popular. I do remember falling instantly in love with it and that was that. I read through all the ones available, which at the time were the first three I believe, and eagerly awaiting the next installment. I rarely, rarely buy hardcover books but when the fourth Harry Potter came out I made my dad buy it for me. It was the only book I was allowed that month but I was perfectly content with that. Because of reading that very first book I discovered a world that I love and a series that I can't get enough of. And so 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' makes the list of books that have had a huge impact on me. Because it was my entry into the incredible world that has since become an obsession.

I never used to like fantasy books, I guess I felt that they just weren't my cup of tea. I absolutely refused to read anything fantasy until one day I accidentally picked up a book that changed my mind totally. The book was 'The Summer Tree' by Guy Gavriel Kay and it changed my mind about fantasy for good. I remember the day I finished it, I had just come home from school and was sitting in my favorite reading chair and as soon as I finished I called my mom who was out running errands and asked her to go to a used bookstore and pick up the next two in the trilogy. As I have mentioned before this is now my favorite trilogy, one that I have read over and over again and in fact just finished a reread a few weeks ago. I know I don't know much about fantasy and I have been told that this is 'average' fantasy but I found 'The Summer Tree' to be well written, thought out and all around really, really good! In truth the whole trilogy has stuck with me in a very important way and whenever I have a hard time or need to remember why I love reading I go back to the wonderful work of Guy Gavriel Kay. He opened my eyes to a whole new genre that I now really enjoy. And it's all thanks to that first accidental encounter with a book called 'The Summer Tree.'

Well friends I hope you enjoyed this special two part post about some of my important books. Short posts for sure but important and fun ones I hope. They were certainly fun for me to write. More posts to come soon. Next? A review of a new Jodi Picoult! Keep your eyes peeled for it! =D



 

The Black Dagger Brotherhood-by J.R. Ward

Ok reading fans let's just cut to the chase, we all have our guilty pleasures when it comes to books. Whether it's secretly hoarding the entire Twilight series or reading the Outlander books while maintaining that you only ever read 'real' literature. And no matter what it is, it's all ok mainly because it still involves reading and loving books. My guilty pleasure is The Black Dagger Brotherhood series by J.R. Ward, which happens to be a paranormal romance series. And yes I did indeed say paranormal and romance in the same sentence. It is a series that involves vampires (the good guys), their mortal enemies the lessers (the undead bad guys), The Scribe Virgin (the goddess that made the vampires (that's right maternal society)) and The Omega (the creator of the lessers). 

How did I even come across this series, you might ask? Well it starts with the fact that I work at a bookstore and when I worked on the book floor I saw a lot of the new books that came in. One of these was the (at the time) latest installment in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series 'Lover at Last' and for some reason I became super curious about the series. So, feeling utterly foolish, I bought the first book in the, 'Dark Lover,' on my nook and after that I became obsessed. I instantly fell in love with the characters, the story line, the writing. I realized that it was so much more than just a silly romance, yes, yes there is romance and sex and all that in there but it's all so much more exciting than just that. 

I know, I know you are all thinking 'eww vampires? Really? It's like 'Twilight' or some other really stupid angsty teen vampire novel isn't it?' And the answer is no, it is nothing like that at all. These vampires are warriors that protect their race from being murdered by the lessers. They are fully grown males that start out as big meat head types that focus only on their war and yet when they find the female that they belong to they become bonded and the most important thing in the world becomes their females. It's a beautiful thing to see these giant warrior men bowing down to the smallest whims of their females. 

There is fighting, suspense, adventure, ghosts, medical emergencies, and pretty much non-stop excitement. Each book focuses on a different Brother and the journey they take to finding their mate. So each new book is an exciting new story to grab onto while still focusing on the overall goodness of the whole story line. Not only are the story lines intriguing and engrossing but the writing is amazing. J.R. Ward is a really great writer, she has a way of blending suspense, romance, tragedy and bliss that I have not really seen before. I think that the reason I enjoy these books so much is that they are simple or as easy as 'a man meets a woman, there is lust, followed by sex, followed by a big fight followed by a happy ending.' At least that's how I see it, it's not just stupid vampires or lame formulaic romance (yes of course some of the formula is in there I'm not denying it is) but it's detailed and intricate and in many ways beautiful. I guess I enjoy the fact that not only are the vampires a matriarchal society their creator and deity is The Scribe Virgin, but they take that love for the female into their love lives. Their mates become their world, they can't exist without their females and they treat them like the goddesses they are. 

This is a series that I usually would pretend I don't read, I would hide the truth and bury it as deeply as possible. In short this would be my guilty pleasure perfectly hidden and tucked away. But after reading the most recent installment, 'The King,' I realized that I love the series enough and feel that it is good enough that I am going to be open and proud about this little guilty pleasure of mine. Although I didn't love 'The King' as much as the others I still feel that the entire series is worth it. There is something addictive about the series, something that makes me want to go back again and again to visit the Brother's mansion and bite my nails about whether or not Wrath will take the throne or Vishous will survive his visions. 

I know that not everyone will want to pick up a series such as this one. And so I am not going to recommend it, instead let me say this. Guilty pleasures are good to have because they can introduce us to a world that we fall instantly in love with and can't seem to get enough of. There are even times when our guilty pleasure turns into something that becomes a favorite thing, a great pleasure that we are willing to share with the world. I guess my point is this, never shy away from something, especially when it comes to books, just because it looks strange or is labeled something that you normally bypass. Again in short don't judge a book by its cover because it is what is in between the covers that moves you to laughter or tears, transports you to Westeros or teaches you the best summoning spell at Hogwarts. So what's your guilty pleasure?  

'Night Owls'-by Lauren M. Roy

Book Title: Night Owls
Author: Lauren M. Roy
Version: Mass Market Paperback
Published: February 25th, 2014
Publisher: Ace
Genre: Fantasy


Synopsis: The Night Owls bookstore is every college student's dream, open late into the night, lots of comfy study corners, right next to a late night coffee shop oh and it's run by a vampire. Of course no one knows she's a vampire they just think she's the super cool owner that only works the night shift. But Val is indeed a vampire with her very own Renfield, the occasional blood lust and a dark past that she is doing her best to keep there.

All Elly has ever known is a life on the run with her mentor and adoptive father Father Value. When Father Value is murdered protecting a book, going against everything that he taught Elly, Elly takes the book and runs from his murderers the Creeps. Knowing only one place where she and the book may be safe Elly runs to the college town of Edgewood to meet Professor Clearwater a one time friend of Father Value. Elly hopes to find some answers as to why Father Value had to die.

When the Creeps find Elly and Professor Clearwater things quickly take a turn for the worse and soon Elly finds herself running for her life but this time without the book. Professor Clearwater, a dear friend of Val's, put the book at Night Owls bookstore for safe keeping. When one of Val's employees and dear friend somehow extracts a spell from this mysterious book the Creeps come after him. Val taking this as a personal insult, along with her Redfield, Chas team up with Ellyn and her adoptive brother Cavale. Together with a pair of lesbian succubi they take a stand against the Creeps and their evil plans.

REVIEW: This is totally my kind of book. Magic, vampires, strong ass-kicking women, handsome men and books. I had a feeling I was going to like it right away and I was not disappointed. The fun part about this book even before I started it was that a friend of a friend edited it. Now I realize what I'm about to say is makes me a complete book nerd but the fact that I am acquainted with someone who is a full fledged editor is more exciting for me than meeting a celebrity.

Anyway knowing the editor of the book was the reason I picked up the book but once I started reading I found myself wanting to keep reading based on the book itself. I was immediately swept up in the story. The mystery and adventure of it all kind of took me away and kept me enthralled for 296 pages. It was a story that I loved losing myself in and the more I got lost, the more I wanted to get lost. I am thrilled that this is merely the first in an exciting new series because I can't wait for the next chapter in this story!

This is Lauren M. Roy's debut novel and what a debut it is! I thought that the writing was wonderful. I think the thing I liked most was that she didn't try to prove herself by using big fancy words that had me reaching for the dictionary every other sentence, she just wrote her story. Don't get me wrong I always enjoy improving my vocabulary but I find it rather annoying when authors use big words just to use big words. Ms. Roy is a good writer indeed, one that knows that her story can stand alone with out a lot of flourish and fancy trimmings. She had a very well put together story, lots of great twists and turns that had me guessing and jumping and wanting more! Also she seems to have a knack for slipping in some very funny moments. Lots of wit woven in which I absolutely adored. I can't wait to keeping reading what Ms. Roy writes because I know it's gonna be good!

The characters were totally captivating. Val and Chaz a perfect twosome full of love and kindness and an absolute perfect partnership. Elly with her grim outer exterior and her inner desire to just find a place to call home, Cavale with his charm and big heart hoping to make Elly's dream come true. These core characters along with the rest of the cast were so well created and drawn that I fell instantly in love with them. I loved all of them because they seemed like just the people next door with a few extra qualities. All of the characters were wonderful and I am so looking forward to seeing what other adventures they go on!

All in all I enjoyed the book from page 1 to page 296. Well written, well put together, great characters and an intriguing story all made for a really fun read. I recommend it to anyone who likes a really good fantasy novel and a great adventure. 'Night Owls' by Lauren M. Roy is the total package for a fun fantasy read, so if you are a fantasy fan go out and find yourself a copy because it's the beginning of a truly exciting adventure.

'While Beauty Slept'-Elizabeth Blcakwel

Book Title: While Beauty Slept
Author: Elizabeth Blackwell
Version: ARC
Publication Date: February 20th, 2014
Publisher: Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam
ISBN: 9780399166235
Genre: Fiction/Fantasy

EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm back by popular demand...well by demand anyway...ok, ok since I'm supposed to tell the truth I'm mainly just back because my manager (who has just started reading my blog) brought it to my attention that my last post was about a month ago. And so here I am once again. As my faithful readers have probably discovered the whole book club idea hasn't taken off. I seem to have lost my steam and excitement for it due to the lack of excitement from everyone else. So things have changed around a little bit. I'm still going to be rereading some books, although I've so far been weak to the calling of new books, but instead of trying to set up a discussion I'm going to put down my insights and thoughts on them and if people feel the urge to comment than that is awesome. One day I hope to have a more interactive website where things like virtual book clubs are the norm. For now this is what the new plan is. I hope that you all keep reading and enjoying what I put out for you for now!

SYNOPSIS: This is supposed to be a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale. That's how it was presented to me anyway, and it was that, that made me so excited going into it. As soon as I started I realized it was more of what seemed to be a prequel to the story. It starts on a farm where a young girl, Elise, is searching for something more than just the life she leads. She lives a hard life of farming, raising her younger brothers, taking care of the animals of the farm and trying to dodge her father's blows. Although her dad was a hard man, a man that seemed to treat his children as objects, he seemed to always hate Elise just a little more than her brothers. One day at the town market Elise gets into a little scuffle with a boy, the boy angry and feeling above Elise calls her 'bastard.' Confused and hurt Elise asks her mother why the boy would call her such a thing. After thinking it over her mother tells her that Elise is actually the daughter of a man that her mother had met while working at the castle. 

Knowing that her mother had lived a whole life before the hard one she was living now was like throwing gas on a flame and Elise became determined to leave the farm and find a better life. After a great tragedy that kills almost all her brothers and her mother Elise decides to leave her old life behind and head to the castle. When she finally arrives she meets with the head housemaid Mrs. Twekes and when Elise tells her who her mother was Mrs. Twekes decides to give Elise a chance. As Elise begins to learn the ins and outs of the castle she finds that although it's a scary place she feels that she has at last found a home. 

After working there for some time Elise gets promoted to the Queen's personal handmaid. An honor that skyrockets Elise into a brand new style of living that takes her farther away from the rest of those that work at the castle. When the Queen finally gives birth to a beautiful baby girl Elise's love and loyalty is further cemented. On the day of their daughter's baptism the King and Queen throw a giant feast to honor their daughter and celebrate her becoming their official heir. In the middle of their great celebration the King's aunt, Millicent, who has been cast out of the royal favor shows up uninvited. Angry and vengeful Millicent makes a promise, a promise that seems like a curse, she says that her revenge will be that the King and Queen will enjoy the love and beauty of their daughter for only a handful of years and then one day they will have to watch her wither away and die. Scared and worried the whole castle gets turned upside down and the royal lives are halted. The Queen takes to fretfully watching over her daughter, the King to trying to find Millicent. 

Elise is witness to this all and as Rose grows Elise begins feeling as if she is her own. Watching her grow into a willful young woman who is searching for more. And though the immediate danger of Millicent seems to have disappeared Rose is always protected and warned against the dangers of the outside world. When the castle goes to war against those that protect Millicent every one's world gets turned upside down and the war seems to be just the beginning of a doom that seems impossible to escape.

REVIEW: Alright so I have to say I'm a little obsessed with fairy tales. I watch 'Once Upon a Time,' love all things Disney, and enjoy reading and hearing about all the real stories behind the fairy tales. And lately I've felt the urge to read whatever I can on them. So when I was given this I was super excited. I couldn't wait to get into a whole new telling of Sleeping Beauty. And though I liked it overall it wasn't really what I had been hoping for. But that's not going to stop me from telling you all how much I enjoyed it. 

Though the story was less a retelling and almost more of a prequel to the story of Sleeping Beauty. And it was interesting and it kept me wanting to read for most of the story but as I mentioned it wasn't what I had been hoping for. I felt that though the story was good it had it's moments when it seemed to drag. I felt that there was a chunk of about 90 pages or so that were unnecessary and made the story drag for a bit. But all in all it was an interesting story that I enjoyed reading. 

This was Ms. Blackwell's first novel and although she was a freelance writer before I was thoroughly blown away by her novel writing abilities. Keeping a voice and imagery alive for an entire novel can be a difficult thing at times for new authors. But I truly felt that Ms. Blackwell did a great job keeping the writing at a top level the entire book. It was flowing, and intriguing. I ended up thinking about the way she stated things and how she described the castle and the King's knights and the giggles of the ladies in waiting even while not reading. Her writing stuck with me and I really enjoyed it. 

The characters were well drawn out and full of life. Elise especially was put together in such a complicated and real manner that she was practically jumping off the page. The funny thing about the characters, and it made me like the book even more, was that none of the characters were all that likable. Elise was annoyingly naive, the Queen ridiculously overprotective, the King nothing but a hothead, and Rose was the spoiled brat that everyone circled around. But I kind of liked that I I didn't like any of them. It made it more honest somehow, everyone at court had a part to play and they all did it perfectly. 

All in all I found the book enjoyable. I tip my tiny hat three times to Ms. Blackwell and her journey into a different side of Sleeping beauty. It's a good book and one that if you have a true love for fairy tales could be a fun one to read. It is not a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty tale so go into it fresh and not expecting that. But it's a good book, well written and mostly exciting. 'While Beauty Slept' is a book that needs to be read and decided upon by each person. I liked it and recommend it and hope that you my dear readers pick it up on the 20th, read it and enjoy it as well.   

The Bone Season-Samantha Shannon

Book Title: The Bone Season
Author: Samantha Shannon
Version: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781408836422
Published: August 20th, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction

I read this book right when I got back from vacation because my good friend, fellow blogger, and author Sidney McEntyre highly recommended it after reading it on the vacation. In fact it turned out that all my friends at work were either just finishing it, in the middle, or just starting it and so I thought that since I was hearing such good things I might as well jump on the bandwagon and read it too. It turned out to be a really good choice. I was taken on a ride starting from the very first pages to the crazy climax and I found myself unable to stop reading or thinking about it the whole time. 

'The Bone Season' is one of those books that I can't really tell you that much about without spoiling things and so I will give you the short synopsis from the very reliable goodreads.com! "It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing.

But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army.

Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives."

I tend to ramble when I really like a book and I didn't want to spoil anything for my readers that might want to read it so instead I will just ramble on about how much I liked it thereby keeping an air of mystery and intrigue about the actual plot. 

This was Samantha Shannon's debut novel and I thought that it was a truly great debut! It was well written with a really great voice that kept me captivated the whole book. Ms. Shannon had a really beautiful way of describing the surroundings, the characters, the emotions all of it that was the perfect blend of poetry and prose. I'm excited to see how she keeps growing as a writer, because I think that we can expect nothing but truly incredible things from her. 

Although the story was entertaining and kept me guessing and wanting more I felt that there were elements that felt familiar. I know that I will be in the minority on this but I felt vibes of 'Hunger Games' in the story. Now this is not a bad thing at all because I really liked the Hunger Games books! And I think that it was a simple thing of debut novel jitters that made Ms. Shannon take the idea of 'The Hunger Games' and shape it into her story. I know this all sounds pretty harsh but I mean no disrespect to Ms. Shannon or 'The Bone Season' but the stories are similar in nature and I tell it like it is. Now this is not to say that I disliked the story at all or that it didn't interest me it was in fact the opposite. I loved the story and it was different enough that I couldn't wait to see what turn it would take next. It is all around a really great story that stayed with me even after it was over. 

The characters were absolutely wonderful, they were depicted fantastically and each one of them were unique and so deliciously imperfect. Paige, the main character, was so well rendered and real that she had me rooting for her the whole time. Even the 'bad guys' were so well done that I truly hated every one of them. Which is exactly what you are supposed to feel towards the bad guys in a book. Samantha Shannon has quite a way with drawing her characters, she is so great at it that each time I went back into the book, I fell in love with and hated the characters each and every time! 

All in all this was a great read, one that kept me up late and kept me fully distracted during lunch breaks. Whenever I opened the book I fell into it in such a way that everything else got blocked out. It enveloped me and became my whole world. That is the mark of a truly excellent book, when it totally takes you over and fills every one of your senses. I tip my tiny hat four times for Ms. Shannon's debut novel 'The Bone Season.' I am really looking forward to the next book in her absolutely exciting series!  

"The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson & The Olympians #1)"-Rick Riordan

Book Title: The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Version: Library ebook
ISBN: 9781423131892
Published: May 5th, 2009
First Published: June 1st, 2005
Genre: Young Readers Fantasy/Adventure

SYNOPSIS: Percy Jackson has grown up having a lot of problems. First off he isn't really sure who or where his dad is, his mom has to work in a candy shop just to support them when all she ever wanted was to go to college and become a novelist. He has been diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD and been kicked out of six schools in six years. It's pretty safe to say that his life has been a little on the difficult side. 

Percy's sixth grade year at Yancy Academy started off the same as almost everywhere else. But for his mom's sake Percy wants to try and make this school work. He has a new friend named Grover who has a disability that makes him limp and he gets picked on a lot so Percy looks out for him. And he has a teacher that seems to be on his side for once, his Latin teacher Mr. Brunner. However towards the end of the term things begin to go a little wonky. On what should be a routine field trip to The Met Percy ends up alone with his math teacher Mrs. Dodds who turns into a crazy scary monster and attacks him. Thanks to a little help from Mr. Brunner and a magic pen Percy disintegrates Mrs. Dodds and gets away.

When Percy confronts Mr. Brunner and Grover about what had happened they both act as if they have no idea who Mrs. Dodds is and what really throws him off is that all the other students seem to be on the same train. Percy tries to put the whole incident behind him and get through the rest of the school year. When he is told that he will not be allowed to come back to the school for the next year Percy kind of gives up. But because Mr. Brunner has always been on his side Percy decides he'll make some effort to pass his Latin final. On his way to ask for some last minute guidance from Mr. Brunner he hears something that stops him in his tracks. Mr. Brunner and Grover talking about him, Percy, Mrs. Dodds and the terrible danger that Percy is in. Feeling confused and a little scared Percy heads back to his dorm room and attempts to fall asleep. 

When he gets back home on the first day of summer he has great plans to spend the summer with his mom and finding a new school. Everything seems to be going in a good direction when his mom and him head out to Montauk for a stay at the beach. But then things start going wrong that night when Grover shows up and tells them it's time to leave. And so begins an adventure that Percy soon realizes isn't one he signed up for. While on the run he finds out that not only is all the Greek mythology that he has been studying actually real and still valid, seeing as the gods are all alive and well, but that he is in fact the son of one of them. He is a demigod, a half-blood and he is in terrible danger out in the mortal world. As the three of them head toward camp half-blood they are chased by a Minotaur who grabs Percy's mom who then disappears in a shower of gold. Percy defeats the Minotaur and promptly passes out. 

He awakens in a room in Camp Half-Blood feeling weak and out of sorts. When he is strong enough to move into the general population he is put into the Hermes cabin where kids who are unclaimed go to live. There he meets Luke, son of Hermes, who kind of takes him under his wing and they quickly become friends. After a few days during a game of capture the flag Percy finally finds out who his father is. His father is Poseidan god of the sea and one of the big three, the three brother gods, Zeus, Hades, and Poseidan who had sworn an oath never to sire half mortal children again. He moves into the Poseidan cabin all alone and feels more confused and lonely than before. If all that wasn't enough Percy finds out that Zeus is threatening war against Poseidan because Zeus believes that Percy has stolen his master lightning bolt. Offended and angry and hoping to clear his name and prevent a war Percy, his new friend Annabeth, daughter of Athena, and Grover set off on a quest to find the lightning bolt, return int to Olympus and find the real lightning thief before war breaks out. 


REVIEW: Ok I'm going to be 100% honest, I saw the movie first and I really loved it. And it is only now, years later, that I have finally read the book. There cat's out of the bag and we can all move on. The movie was good, the book was amazing! I love Greek mythology I always have and that was what originally drew me to the movie. After moving to New York and meeting my good friend Sidney McEntyre and after hearing her talk about how good the book series was I added it to my giant list of 'to read' books. After being here over a year I finally got a library card and with my new lending abilities I decided to borrow the ebook version of "The Lightning Thief" and I am so glad that I did.

This was such a great book! I had been in a little bit of a reading rut lately, reading a lot of simply ok books or books that I wasn't that excited about. This book though turned everything around. I was reading it and I got excited about reading all over again. The writing is great for a young reader's book. Simple but full of things that would make kids want to learn more. And I found that the way that the Greek mythology was part of it was a stroke of genius on Mr. Riordan's part. I thought that he did an incredible job making it accessible and yet keeping it so that kids will want to learn more. It's pretty cool.

The story is amazing! Pure and simple, I mean what kid wouldn't love an adventure story about kids that have extra powers because they are the children of Greek gods? The story is just so very cool and full of awesomeness. It was a fun read from start to finish, I didn't want to put it down ever. That is a great adventure story, one that makes you want to read all the time and never put it down. I'm really glad that this is a series because I didn't want the story to end. This way I get a lot more of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. 

The characters were so much fun! These kids were cool, like really cool! Sure they greatly burdened with the fact that they are half god and are kept in constant danger by the monsters that seem to always find them but they are still really cool. They have these powers that comes from their god/goddess parents and they know how to use them to a extent. Although they are young and just starting out they can take care of themselves and they know how to navigate themselves in the world of myth and legend which is very real to them. I just loved the characters in this book and I went ahead and read the second one and I simply can't get enough of Percy and Annabeth and all their merry friends!

I highly recommend this series to all readers who are interested in Greek mythology. This is a great read for every age and a great way to start the love of reading for young kids just starting out. It's a fantastic book and I'm thinking that the rest of the series is just as great. I say go forth and find a copy, buy it, borrow it, however it is done take a chance and read "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan because it's a truly great read and I know that it made me love reading all over again!